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12"
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DIAG 047EP
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Self Split EP features Kouhei Matsunaga at his chimeric best for Diagonal, delivering two jazzy, freehand concrète collabs with Japanese sound artist and Eartaker noise maker, Masayuki Imianishi, plus two dance-offs with himself as NHK yx koyxen and Speedy K. The "Texture Foggy" pieces render a more reflective, cosmic aspect of Kouhei's character. For virulent examples of Kouhei at the rave, NHK yx koyxen and Speedy K's "StepMove #01" is quite possibly the wonkiest peak-time juggernaut of the year, and the acid wormhole of "Early Mellow Darkness" sounds like the bald acid offspring of Luke Slater and Ed Rush.
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CD
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DIAG 034CD
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Kouhei Matsunaga's second album as NHK yx Koyxen - his label debut for Diagonal - is a pixel-pill gobbling, see-sawing wave of techno emotions presenting the Japanese artist at his most rugged and damaged. After recent LPs from Not Waving (DIAG 025CD/LP, 2016), Elon Katz (DIAG 029, 2016) and Russel Haswell (DIAG 024CD/LP, 2015), Diagonal now excel in drawing out powerful album statements from some of the most distinctive musicians in contemporary electronic music. As bonkers as the narwhal-cavorting-with-a-rhino artwork, Doom Steppy Reverb is the skizzo brother of new beta, a 3D spec'd rally thru some of NHK's darkest, most driven material, done with a gangster swang in deft minor key arrangements that hint at a certain rudeboy vulnerability. Its seven tracks toe a fine line between novel and nasty; sidewinding from warehouse acid to brukkin' garage techno by the brutal close of "1073+snare", or basic channeling Autechre/Reich-ian chords with sole-melting synth juice in "Y", only to unexpectedly turn out a baroque scally bubble, Zomby style, with "1082_s". Make no mistake, it's a record full of club bangers, though: "L gets on Lory D levels of neo acid house squirm and "1038_lo_oct" will demolish a big room at the right time thanks to some properly toned sub-bass, adding a new weapon to Diagonal's arsenal of world-scattered radge packets. It's proper fuel for DJs, dancers and headphone excursionists - and the artwork by Guy Featherstone, makes it just a good ol' laugh to look at. This is NHK's best work - and it demands to be felt. Mastered by Matt Colton. RIYL: Demdike Stare, Gescom, Blawan, Zomby.
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LP
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DIAG 034LP
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LP version. Kouhei Matsunaga's second album as NHK yx Koyxen - his label debut for Diagonal - is a pixel-pill gobbling, see-sawing wave of techno emotions presenting the Japanese artist at his most rugged and damaged. After recent LPs from Not Waving (DIAG 025CD/LP, 2016), Elon Katz (DIAG 029, 2016) and Russel Haswell (DIAG 024CD/LP, 2015), Diagonal now excel in drawing out powerful album statements from some of the most distinctive musicians in contemporary electronic music. As bonkers as the narwhal-cavorting-with-a-rhino artwork, Doom Steppy Reverb is the skizzo brother of new beta, a 3D spec'd rally thru some of NHK's darkest, most driven material, done with a gangster swang in deft minor key arrangements that hint at a certain rudeboy vulnerability. Its seven tracks toe a fine line between novel and nasty; sidewinding from warehouse acid to brukkin' garage techno by the brutal close of "1073+snare", or basic channeling Autechre/Reich-ian chords with sole-melting synth juice in "Y", only to unexpectedly turn out a baroque scally bubble, Zomby style, with "1082_s". Make no mistake, it's a record full of club bangers, though: "L gets on Lory D levels of neo acid house squirm and "1038_lo_oct" will demolish a big room at the right time thanks to some properly toned sub-bass, adding a new weapon to Diagonal's arsenal of world-scattered radge packets. It's proper fuel for DJs, dancers and headphone excursionists - and the artwork by Guy Featherstone, makes it just a good ol' laugh to look at. This is NHK's best work - and it demands to be felt. Mastered by Matt Colton. RIYL: Demdike Stare, Gescom, Blawan, Zomby.
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12"
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DIAG 017EP
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Japanese mentalist Kouhei Matsunaga aka NHK yx Koyxen starts off with "218," a re-tuning of halfstep D&B to sound like Skeptical twysted into submission by Autechre -- coincidentally, NHK collaborated with Autechre's Sean Booth (and Mika Vainio) on 2010's 3. Telepathics Meh In-sect Er Connection (IMPREC 281CD) -- before delivering a 12-minute mastication of garage-techno and swingin' 303 lines in "845." On the flip, strapping, squawking acid bomb "932" features vocals from XenoGlossiX aka XiX, and is pursued, relentlessly, by the palate-cleansing rhythmic noise rip of "234" and a manic, sloppy kiss-off in the Gescom-like, Chicago-via-Tokyo acid burner "953."
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